Marina woman died of accidental drug overdose

Carie Hufford, the Marina woman who was found dead on Jan. 24 less than a mile from her house, died of an accidental drug overdose, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Coroner.

Hufford, also known as Carie Leetch or Lulu, was reported missing on Jan. 17 by her husband. He told authorities she had a cold, and that she was taking medication for it.

The coroner determined that Hufford's accidental overdose was likely caused by her own attempts to self-medicate while battling severe flu-like symptoms, said Marina police Cmdr. Bob Nolan.

"The official cause of death was listed as acute methadone intoxication, which resulted from the numerous medications ingested by Hufford," he said. "Exposure to the elements over a period of time may have also contributed to Hufford's demise."

Not long after Hufford was reported missing, a Marina resident spotted a woman that fit Hufford's description near Imjin Road and Abrams Drive in Marina. When she failed to show up a few days later, a search party was organized. About 160 volunteers and family members fanned in different directions in the Fort Ord area, and a group found her body about a mile from her home.

Marina police immediately determined there had been no foul play involved in her death.

"Based on what we found, she passed out off the trail," Nolan said. "How she wandered of the trail and never got up, we don't know. Exposure could have contributed to the cause of death but officially it was an accidental drug overdose. We don't know how long she was down."